Parlando: The COC Blog

Tweeting Iphigenia

Pilates with Pylades Video and Free Signed Poster Contest!

[This is a guest-post from Olga Kwak, Digital Marketing Co-ordinator]

Under a warm September sky, a Greek warrior sought serenity…

This week, we asked tenorJoseph Kaiser to join us for a Pilates class at St. James Park in the heart of downtown Toronto. Joseph is playing Pylades in our season-opener Iphigenia in Tauris from Sept. 22 to Oct. 15, 2011. What better way to celebrate the start of an epic adventure than with a little exercise? Even Greek warriors have to work their cores! Watch the Pilates with Pylades video and scroll through our exclusive pictures.

We had a great time at St. James Park at our Pilates class and we thank Joseph Kaiser for participating. We gave away a free pair of tickets to Iphigenia in Tauris to a lucky participant and a free personal Pilates class with our instructor Lolli to another participant. Without further ado, our Pilates with Pylades video!

Shots from the event:

Joseph (in blue T-shirt) and the Pilates class reach for the gorgeous sky.

Lolli, the Pilates instructor who guided the class, on breath control.

Joseph was Lolli's model for the class. In the background you can see our brand-new I Heart COC display!

Tough workout!

Now that you've seen the video, we've got a very special treat for you – comment on the blog today to win a copy of this Pilates with Pylades poster signed by Joseph Kaiser! To receive a copy of the poster, leave a comment with your favourite fall outdoor activity before 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2011. Let's make it Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2011. I suspect quite a few of our readers are weekday readers. So if you'd still like to leave a comment, please do!

Let me start off by telling you mine: I love to go hiking up north when the leaves start to change colour. It's just cool enough that I don't get over-heated on the trail, but I don't have to wear a million layers either. Plus, the colours of the leaves are just brilliant.

So what's your favourite fall activity? Leave a message all weekend long and we'll choose a comment on Monday morning. Remember to return to Parlando to find out who the winner is. We'll announce it on Twitter and Facebook, but we want you to return so you can send us your details!

An Evening with Susan Graham

The Toronto Star's Richard Ouzounian interviews Susan Graham, the mezzo megastar who has become, more than any other singer today, identified with the role of Iphigenia. She talks about the power the opera holds:

So what is she doing here in a somber work by Gluck, based on a tragedy by Euripides?

“The music comes first, it always does. This score is unbelievable. So expressive, so passionate, so ahead of its time. I love singing it.”

That might qualify as the understatement of the year, because Graham has already performed the role to wild acclaim at the Metropolitan Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the San Francisco Opera, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and the Teatro Real de Madrid.

But it’s also the story that draws Graham to the piece so strongly. This tragic tale of a father willing to sacrifice his daughter, a wife who kills her husband and a son who slays his mother makes it, on one level, what Graham quips is “the ultimate dysfunctional family.” [read the full interview]

Yesterday evening, opera lovers packed the Duke of York for the chance to see Susan Graham and Russell Braun, who sings the role of Orestes, in conversation with the CBC's Brent Bambury as part of our popular Opera 101 series. Blogger Definitely the Opera was present, and recaps the discussion, noting that "Graham and Braun were great as guests, comfortable in the setting and with each other."

Check out this post from Parlando earlier this year that collects some of Susan Graham's highlights on YouTube, including an appearance on Martha Stewart's show!

Susan Graham (above) as Iphigenia in the Lyric Opera of Chicago production of Iphigenia in Tauris, 2006. Photo: Dan Rest